SC-S29/W6 – Nostalgia Of The Little Me: A Childhood Story That Taught You Something

When I was in fifth grade, I had a teacher for art and crafts who was quite old. I don't know if it was because she was very mature, but she was always in a bad mood. What should have been a subject for learning and relaxation became, at least for me, a nightmare.

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She was always shouting during class. She had it in for me and would say hurtful things to me, as if she hated me. You can imagine how she graded me. Of course, like any girl, she made me feel horrible.

I remember one time when my mum didn't have enough money to buy all the materials she had asked for for a class project. She said a lot of things to me, like, 'You're poor, I'm the teacher, and I'm going to fail you in this subject,' among other things.

	Many lessons that strengthen your growth

How old were you, and what exactly happened in that moment?

I was 10 years old when my teacher asked for materials to make a mosaic in class: white glue, magazines, drawing pads, among other things. My mum didn't have enough money to buy the glue, so I told her I didn't want to go to school because I knew the teacher was going to tell me off.

My mum forced me to go to school that day. As expected, she told me all sorts of things, that I was poor, that I would never amount to anything in life, that she would see me as a cleaner, etc.

What emotions did you feel during and after the incident?

To begin with, I had already lost confidence in that teacher and I didn't feel safe at that moment. I felt ashamed, I wanted to disappear, I didn't want to face my classmates.

I felt helpless and very frustrated, a child humiliated by an adult without being able to defend myself because if I did, things would get worse, especially fear, anxiety, and a mental block where nothing went right for me. I was also very angry with that teacher and hated her for years.

	Recreating a teaching moment

What lesson or realization did you learn from this experience?

Of course, I told my mother what had been happening to me for years. I kept that resentment in my heart, but my mother, who is a very devout Christian, told me many stories from the Bible to strengthen my confidence, especially that of David and Goliath. She told me that David was afraid, but he defeated the giant.

Over the years, I came to understand that no one learns under threat. Humiliation is the main enemy of learning. What hurt me most was not the teacher's shouting and humiliation, but the laughter and bullying of my classmates. That's why I teach my children not to make fun of their classmates. What you say to another person can destroy them internally. It is a scar that remains engraved on the soul and is very difficult to heal. As my mother says, only God can restore and perform miracles, and of course I strive to ensure that my children never lack anything and are not humiliated for not having school supplies.

How has this lesson influenced your life until today?

With maturity and the passing of the years, I am against bullying and do not accept it under any circumstances. It is one thing to joke around and quite another to bully. All that experience I had in my childhood makes me understand that everything that happens to us in life happens for a reason. Perhaps the teacher was going through a personal situation that led her to act that way. She took out all her frustration on the students. I do not justify or accept it, but I can understand it.

I learned many lessons during that period that currently influence my behaviour towards other people in some way. It helped shape my character and taught me what not to do because teaching is not about subjugating others, so I applied this to my life and taught it to my children.

	The stories my mum uses to teach me how to overcome fear and frustration